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Chris Kirkland raves about 'unbelieable' Everton keeper Jordan Pickford live on air
Chris Kirkland has raved about Everton keeper Jordan Pickford following the career he has carved out for himself in the game.
Speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside on (12 September), the pundit said the England international was “one of the best” he has worked with during his time on loan at Preston North End.
He added that the 29-year-old was “unbelievable” at Deepdale and predicted early on that he would go on to represent his country.
“I worked with Jordan at Preston,” said Kirkland. “I’ve said this many times before that he is one of the best that I ever worked with, he was just incredible.
“What I see at Everton, I think he’s calmed down a lot now. I think he got too involved with the crowd and got too hyped up.
“I didn’t see any of that at Preston and he was incredible, like I mean unbelievable. I was saying this lad would play for England, I said it in the first session that this lad would be England’s keeper without a shadow of a doubt.
“How many times has he played for England, 60 or 70 times already, hasn’t he? So he’s not a bad keeper, is he?”
Plenty to come
It was a great shout by Kirkland to predict that Pickford would play for England during in his loan spell with Preston in the 2015-16 season.
On his return to Sunderland the following season, the keeper quickly made a name for himself in the Premier League and earned a move to Everton at the end of the campaign.
He has nailed down the position of England’s number one over the past few years and put in some excellent performances for the Blues during that period.
But given that he is still on the right side of 30, there could still be a lot to come from Pickford at club and international level, as he will be hoping to get his hands on some silverware.
While times have been tough at Goodison Park over the past couple of years, the keeper has played a crucial role in helping the club stay in the top flight and he will be vital again this season.
In other Everton news, the Premier League is due to make checks after takeover news has emerged.